Impacts of rodent eradication on seed predation and plant community biomass
Island ecosystems have experienced massive biodiversity loss, and invasive species, in particular rodents, are responsible for much of this loss (~15%). Rodent eradications have led to the recovery of over 100 island vertebrates and their ecological roles. While the focus of most eradication efforts...
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ftdans:oai:easy.dans.knaw.nl:easy-dataset:294402 2024-06-23T07:56:25+00:00 Impacts of rodent eradication on seed predation and plant community biomass Miller-ter Kuile, A (via Mendeley Data) 2019-04-26T01:03:07.799Z http://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:nl:ui:13-g6-c5iv https://easy.dans.knaw.nl/ui/datasets/id/easy-dataset:294402 unknown 1 d7jk36hhyy http://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:nl:ui:13-g6-c5iv doi:10.17632/d7jk36hhyy.1 https://easy.dans.knaw.nl/ui/datasets/id/easy-dataset:294402 OPEN_ACCESS: The data are archived in Easy, they are accessible elsewhere through the DOI https://dans.knaw.nl/en/about/organisation-and-policy/legal-information/DANSLicence.pdf Ana Miller-ter Kuile Interdisciplinary sciences 2019 ftdans https://doi.org/10.17632/d7jk36hhyy.1 2024-06-11T04:08:47Z Island ecosystems have experienced massive biodiversity loss, and invasive species, in particular rodents, are responsible for much of this loss (~15%). Rodent eradications have led to the recovery of over 100 island vertebrates and their ecological roles. While the focus of most eradication efforts has been vertebrate recovery, rodents are generalists that predominantly eat seeds and fruit. However, there has been limited work on the effects of rodent eradication on plant communities and plant-mediated ecological processes. In this study, we conducted repeated surveys of seed, juvenile, and adult tree abundance and survival in permanent vegetation plots across an islet network (Palmyra Atoll) in the Central Tropical Pacific, before and after the eradication of black rats (Rattus rattus). Our aim was to examine the role of seed predation on tree communities and biomass. We observed an 84% decrease in seed predation of an introduced foundational species (the coconut palm, Cocos nucifera), and a 14-fold increase in juvenile tree biomass in all species following eradication. Juvenile C. nucifera abundance increased 2-5 times more than other tree species, leading to a 10% increase in population growth rate and a 4-fold increase in adult tree biomass accumulation over the next tree generation. We conclude that rodents can have nuanced impacts on island ecosystems, including facilitation of other invasive species and alteration of ecosystem functions such as carbon and nutrient cycling and storage. Future eradication efforts need to incorporate plant responses, since plants can shape post-eradication recovery trajectories.These data include census data from permanent vegetation plots on Palmyra Atoll, data used to determine community biomass from these plots, maps of Palmyra Atoll and the vegetation plot locations, and statistical tests used to determine changes in stages and vital rates for tree species in the permanent vegetation plots. THIS DATASET IS ARCHIVED AT DANS/EASY, BUT NOT ACCESSIBLE HERE. TO VIEW A LIST ... Other/Unknown Material Rattus rattus Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS): EASY (KNAW - Koninklijke Nederlandse Akademie van Wetenschappen) Pacific |
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Open Polar |
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Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS): EASY (KNAW - Koninklijke Nederlandse Akademie van Wetenschappen) |
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ftdans |
language |
unknown |
topic |
Interdisciplinary sciences |
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Interdisciplinary sciences Miller-ter Kuile, A (via Mendeley Data) Impacts of rodent eradication on seed predation and plant community biomass |
topic_facet |
Interdisciplinary sciences |
description |
Island ecosystems have experienced massive biodiversity loss, and invasive species, in particular rodents, are responsible for much of this loss (~15%). Rodent eradications have led to the recovery of over 100 island vertebrates and their ecological roles. While the focus of most eradication efforts has been vertebrate recovery, rodents are generalists that predominantly eat seeds and fruit. However, there has been limited work on the effects of rodent eradication on plant communities and plant-mediated ecological processes. In this study, we conducted repeated surveys of seed, juvenile, and adult tree abundance and survival in permanent vegetation plots across an islet network (Palmyra Atoll) in the Central Tropical Pacific, before and after the eradication of black rats (Rattus rattus). Our aim was to examine the role of seed predation on tree communities and biomass. We observed an 84% decrease in seed predation of an introduced foundational species (the coconut palm, Cocos nucifera), and a 14-fold increase in juvenile tree biomass in all species following eradication. Juvenile C. nucifera abundance increased 2-5 times more than other tree species, leading to a 10% increase in population growth rate and a 4-fold increase in adult tree biomass accumulation over the next tree generation. We conclude that rodents can have nuanced impacts on island ecosystems, including facilitation of other invasive species and alteration of ecosystem functions such as carbon and nutrient cycling and storage. Future eradication efforts need to incorporate plant responses, since plants can shape post-eradication recovery trajectories.These data include census data from permanent vegetation plots on Palmyra Atoll, data used to determine community biomass from these plots, maps of Palmyra Atoll and the vegetation plot locations, and statistical tests used to determine changes in stages and vital rates for tree species in the permanent vegetation plots. THIS DATASET IS ARCHIVED AT DANS/EASY, BUT NOT ACCESSIBLE HERE. TO VIEW A LIST ... |
author |
Miller-ter Kuile, A (via Mendeley Data) |
author_facet |
Miller-ter Kuile, A (via Mendeley Data) |
author_sort |
Miller-ter Kuile, A (via Mendeley Data) |
title |
Impacts of rodent eradication on seed predation and plant community biomass |
title_short |
Impacts of rodent eradication on seed predation and plant community biomass |
title_full |
Impacts of rodent eradication on seed predation and plant community biomass |
title_fullStr |
Impacts of rodent eradication on seed predation and plant community biomass |
title_full_unstemmed |
Impacts of rodent eradication on seed predation and plant community biomass |
title_sort |
impacts of rodent eradication on seed predation and plant community biomass |
publishDate |
2019 |
url |
http://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:nl:ui:13-g6-c5iv https://easy.dans.knaw.nl/ui/datasets/id/easy-dataset:294402 |
geographic |
Pacific |
geographic_facet |
Pacific |
genre |
Rattus rattus |
genre_facet |
Rattus rattus |
op_relation |
1 d7jk36hhyy http://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:nl:ui:13-g6-c5iv doi:10.17632/d7jk36hhyy.1 https://easy.dans.knaw.nl/ui/datasets/id/easy-dataset:294402 |
op_rights |
OPEN_ACCESS: The data are archived in Easy, they are accessible elsewhere through the DOI https://dans.knaw.nl/en/about/organisation-and-policy/legal-information/DANSLicence.pdf Ana Miller-ter Kuile |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.17632/d7jk36hhyy.1 |
_version_ |
1802649481597943808 |